Buckle



C. E. BRADSHAW.

BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1918- RENEWEDDEC. 22,1921. 1,406,971.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

I A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

CHARLES E. BRADSHAW, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR '10 ROBERT N.

BASSETT COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF SHELTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TION or CONNECTICUT.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Application filed July 17, 1918, Serial No. 245,323. Renewed December 22, 1921. Serial No. 524,298.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLns E. BRAD- SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to buckles and other mountings for running webbing of the class wherein the frame member is provided with inwardly projecting trunnions on which the lever member is pivotally supported, and its object is to provide a buckle of this character having neat and compact pivotal connections designed to bear a severe strain when the buckle is closed on the webbing.

My invention consists in constructing a buckle of the class above mentioned in which the inwardly projecting trunnions are disposed edgewise to the face portion of the backplate of the frame member instead .of flatwise thereto, and the lever member is provided with apertured side ears which receive these trunnions so that the strain on both the trunnions and side ears, which is exerted by the lever member when closing the'buckle, is in the direction of the plane of the trunnions and the plane of the side ears whereby both trunnions and side ears receive the strain upon their edges rather than upon their flat sides or face portions.

-Other features of the invention will appear in the details of construction and manner of operation set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to corresponding parts. i In the drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the buckle strung with webbing; Figure 2, a side view;

Figure 3, a central, vertical, view;

Figure 4, a top View before the webbing is attached thereto, and

Figure 5, a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Figure 4 in their open posi tion.

The buckle shown consists of a back memher or frame A- and a front member or lever B. The back member A is bent up out of a sheet metal blank to form the back plate 2 having its lower extremity provided with a projecting lip 3 which is folded toward sectional the back plate and swedged on to the end 7c of the webbing C so that this end is confined between the lip and the face portion of the back plate as shown in Figure 3. The back plate 2'is also provided with forwardly turned side ears 1-, 4: and projecting inwardly toward each other from thetop edges respectively of these ears are the aligned pintlcs or trunnions 5, 5 which are disposed edgewise to the front face of the back plate and adjacent to the top side thereof so that the plane of the trunnions 5, 5 is substantially at right angles with the plane of the front face of the back plate. The lever B is also bent up out of a sheet metal blank to form the front portion or shield 6 having its upper extremity provided with the web-gripping portion or projecting shelf 7 disposed at an angle thereto. The front portion or shield 6 is also provided with the rearwardly turned side ears 8, 8 which arespaced from the side edges respectively of the shelf 7 and have their body portions provided with apertures '9, 9 through which are passed the inwardly projecting trunnions 5, 5, thereby forming a pivotal connection between the front and back members. While the buckle may be strung with webbing in any suitable manner, yet I prefer the rustless stringing, so called because the back of the'buckle, or the face portion thereof toward the body of the wearer when used on garments, is covered with webbing to prevent any moisture due to perspiration from coming in contact with the metal surface. After the extremity 7c is secured between the lip and .the back plate in the manner described the free or moving portion of the webbing is passed'rearwardly over the top edge of the back-plate, then downwardly below the back and then upwardly between the lever and back plate, forming an adjustable loop in the webbing carrying the cast-off member D, or any other suitable member. When buckles are strung rustless to form an adjustable loop as described it is desirable that the pivotal connection between the lever and back shouldbe located high up adjacent to the uppermost portion of the back in order to prevent the front layer of webbing from swinging away from the top edge of the back when the buckle is understress. To bringthe location of the pivotal connections to a position adjacent to the top edge of the back I form the inwardly projecting trunnions on the top edges respectively of the" side ears 3, 3 of the back member. The forming of the trunnions on the top edges of the ears in this manner enables a blank to be used containing a minimum amount of metal, or at least no more metal than that required in the present style of back which is provided With a-pertured side ears for trunnions located on the lever member and having its lower extremity below the ears formed with a projecting lip, such buckles being known as swedged lip buckles. In the blank required for forming the back of my buckle before the trunnions and side ears are bent out of the plane oft-he back plate the lugs which form the trunnions project upwardly oneach side of the metal forming the lip in the preceding blank so that the scrap leftat the sides of the lip .can be utilized in forming the trunnions thus the samenumber of blanks can be sheared out of the same length of metal strip as is now employed in the present style of swedged lip buckles above referred to. The side ears on the lever member arespaced apart a distance slightly less than that between the side ears on the back member so that when the parts are assembled the ears on the lever are closely embraced by the ears on the back leaving sufiicient clearance, however, to" enable the pivotal action to take place when the buckle is opened and closed. This close engagement between the side 'ears'on the respective members causes the strain on the trunnions which is exerted by the lever memher when the buckle is closed to be received at the base of the trunnions, that is, where they are joined "onto the side ears of the back member, rather thanthroughout their length or towards their extremities, as is usually the case in the present style 'of buckles having inwardly projecting trunnlons. Locating the strains at the base of the trunnions'and on their edges instead of on their face portions enables me to employ not only short trunnions but also to form the back out of a lighter gauge of metal than is required in the present style of buckle having inwardly 1 projecting trunn 1ons.' This feature, taken togetherwith the feature of embodying my invention in a swedged'lip buckle, the swedged lip buckles may also beformed out of a lighter gauge metal than other styles of buckles. It should: be observed that in the preferred buckle disclosed I am enabled to locate the shelf or web-gripping member of thelever in a position where it Wlll'llllJGI'SGCl) the plane of the trunnions when the buckle is opened and closed, but

in no way interfering with. the trunnions' WhICh pro ect into the spaces "formed be-' tw en e ,adjacent. side, ears, on the .lever member,

side edges of the shelf and the is very desirable since I This location of the shelf can not be obtained in a buckle wherein the trunnions are extended until they meet in the form of a bar disposed across the front of the back member nor in a buckle wherein'the trunnions are journalled in sleeves or plntle straps rolled on the lever member beyond the'si'de edges of the shelf. Further, the use of trunnions of minimum lengtlitenables a shelf of greater width to be employed, that is, a shelf which presents a longer gripping edge to the webbing.

\Vherever I have used the term back member it is to be understood that I refer to that part of thebuckle with which the lever cooperates and which is not necessarily the back portion'of the buckle since the device may be used in such a way that the lever member might be regarded as the backmember of the buckle. While the device above described is the preferred embodimentof my invention yet it is understood that the same is susceptible to such modification as may fairly come within the scope'of the appended claims.- 1

Having now described my invention 'what I claim and desire to protect by-LettersPatent is: v V v 1. Abuckle comprising a s'heetrmetal back having forwardly turned side ears the'upper. edges of which are provided with inwardly projecting trunnions disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to the face portion of the back, and alevermember pivotally mounted on said trunnions.

2. A buckle comprising a sheet metalback having forwardly turned side ears the top edges of which are provided with inwardly projecting trunnions and a sheet metal lever having rearwardly turned side earsi provided with apertures in which said'trunnions are journalled. r

3. A sheet metal buckle. for running webhing comprising a back having forwardly turned side earsthe top edges of which areprovided with inwardly projecting itrunnions disposed in a plane substantially at right angleswith the front face ofthe back, and a lever member having rearwardly turned side cars. which are closely embraced by the side ears on the back providediwith apertures in which the trunnions 'are .j ournalled.

4. A sheet metal buckle for running webbing comprising a back provided with a web-holding lip and forwardly turned side ears the upper edges ofwhich are-provided with inwardly projecting trunnions' formed integral therewith, and a lever member pivotally. mounted on said'trunnions. a

5. A sheetmetal buckle for running webbing comprising aback having a web-holding lip. at its lower extremity andforwardly turned side ears-the top edges of which latten are, provided with inwardly prejecting trunnion's disposed in a plane substantially at right angles with the front face of the provided with apertures in which the trunnions are journalled.

6. A. sheet metal buckle for running webbing comprising a back having a web-holding lip at its lower extremity and forwardly turned side ears the top edges of which are provided with inwardly projecting trunnions disposed in a plane substantially at right angles with the front face of the back, and a lever member having rearwardly turned side ears which are closely embraced by the side ears on the back and provided with apertures in which the trunnions are journalled and a shelf which swings through the axis of said trunnions during the movement between the lever and back, the said shelf being cut away at its extremities to make room for the inwardly projecting trunnions on the back.

7. A sheet metal buckle for running webping comprising a back having a web-holding lip at its lower extremity and forwardly i turned side ears the top edges of which are provided with inwardly projecting trunnions disposed in a plane which passes through the top edge of the back, and'a lever member having rearwardly turned side ears which are closely embraced by the side ears on the back and provided with apertures in which the trunnions are journalled, the said lever member also having a shelf which is disposed in a plane substantially at right angles with the front face of the back when the buckle is closed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th da of June, 1918.

'OHARLE E. BRADSHAW. 

